Laser systems may be useful for many different applications. More particularly, tunable laser systems capable of emitting one or more optical beams over a range of wavelengths are presently used in applications including, without limitation, multiphoton microscopy, optical coherence tomography, and harmonic generation. For some such applications, lasers having ultrashort pulse widths which are tunable over a range of lasing wavelengths may be desirable. While such attributes may be desirable, the modalities utilized within the laser system to generate these features may create practical difficulties. For example, a tunable laser that is configured to operate over a range of lasing wavelengths may be difficult to stabilize over the full tuning range because the interaction of the laser light with the optics of the system is wavelength dependent. This phenomenon may be exacerbated in a laser system that produces ultrashort pulses that are sensitive to the dispersive properties of the optical system.
Wavelength tunable laser systems having ultrashort pulse widths have been in use and are generally known. However, what has been needed are stable and reliable tunable laser systems that operate with an ultrashort pulse width and which are tunable over a broad range of operating wavelengths. What has also been needed are such tunable laser systems with output beams which are stable over the entire operating range of wavelengths without the need for external adjustment and which are capable of maintaining stable pulses over the entire tunable range.